Originally published Sept. 1, 2009, Ryan Kennedy offers some words of wisdom: "If you're serious about winning a pool, there can be no such thing as a throwaway pick."
Everyone knows who the top players are, but what separates the pros from the amateurs and the winners from the losers is making bold decisions that pay off in the later rounds of your fantasy draft.
With hockey being as unpredictable as it is, there are always a few overlooked gems. The success rate of even the best fantasy managers with late-round picks isn't high, but all you need is to hit on one of them.
Ryan Kennedy offered up a few suggestions for the 2009-10 season that included some hits:
- Capitals left winger Tomas Fleischmann, who put up 23 goals and 51 points in 69 games in a breakout season
- Sabres left winger Tim Kennedy, whose 26 points was tied-12th among rookies along with Evander Kane, Ryan O'Reilly and Erik Karlsson
And some duds:
- Petr Prucha, who scored just 22 points in 79 games following a chance-of-scenery trade to the Coyotes
- Playmaker Andrew Ebbett, who scored just 15 points in 61 games and ended up splitting the season between the Ducks, Blackhawks and Wild
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